Shots in the night: Exploring Batumi, Georgia for a week.
I was up at Midnight when I heard the shots being fired. I say shots – being British I am not that familiar with gunfire, but I know that guns are readily available in Georgia and it was enough to put the fear of God up me.
The Photos I Never Took: A Year of Full-Time Travel in 2025
I have completed another twelve months of travel and as well as listing where I was, I wanted to look back on what stayed with me. These are moments that I didn’t record at the time. Sometimes because the moment was fleeting, sometimes out of respect for the people involved, sometimes because I just wasn’t there! What follows is a year told in words instead of photographs.
Being Sick in a Disaster Zone: My Hat Yai Story.
During a week starting from the 20th November 2025, Hat Yai, in Southern Thailand became a disaster zone. People lost their homes, their livelihoods, in some cases their lives. This is not that story, this is a smaller one, set inside it.
Chips, Crisps, and Cuttlefish: My Funniest Food Fails While Travelling.
I know there are bloggers out there who specialise in the subject … but I suffer enough from imposter syndrome in so many areas, I’m not wanting to add food blogger to the mix. I think after reading this post you will think there is not much chance of that!
Up, down and rather uneasy: Crossing the Mountains to Hopa.
For someone who travels full-time, I still get anxious whenever I’m actually on the move and today was no exception.
The secret life of walls. Street Art in Europe.
When I travel, I’m as likely to hunt for murals as museums, because street art feels alive: it’s political, playful, and sometimes defiant. From graffiti-tagged trains in Belgium to a hidden unicorn mural in a Granada car park, each wall tells a story,
A Week in Kars: From City Streets to the Lost Armenian City of Ani.
Most travellers from the Dogu Express stay in Kars for just one night before crossing into Georgia. I stayed a week. Tucked deep in Eastern Turkey, Kars feels both remote and layered — a place shaped by borders, history and various empires. From its towering citadel to the haunting ruins of Ani, once an Armenian capital, it’s a region that sits quietly at the edge.
Ankara to Kars on the Doğu Express – the longest train.
“The train follows the river Euphrates for some of the journey and that brought back memories of learning ancient history in school and how civilisation started in the Euphrates valley, but obviously downstream from here and into Syria and Iraq. On occasion I could hear the river rushing downstream when the train was quieter or had stopped en route.”
Flags in the real world. A flag post.
I feel a little sad that my childhood love of flags has become so tarnished and I really wish I could get back to seeing them with a neutral eye, but there is no going back.
Ankara – the train journey from Istanbul and more.
“Considering travelling from Istanbul to Ankara by train? Here’s what my journey was like, with tips, surprises along the way, and what to expect when you arrive.”